Scene 1: Orders from the High Command
Location: Pakistan Naval Headquarters, Karachi – November 13, 1971
In the dim war room, maps of the Bay of Bengal were spread across the table. A large red circle marked the port city of Visakhapatnam, India's key Eastern Naval Command hub. Admiral Muzaffar Hassan, the Chief of Naval Staff, stood facing Commander Zafar Muhammad Khan, captain of PNS Ghazi, the pride of Pakistan's submarine fleet.
Admiral Muzaffar:
"Commander Zafar, this is a classified mission. Ghazi is to proceed to the eastern seaboard. Your target—INS Vikrant."
Commander Zafar:
"Aye, sir. Intelligence suggests Vikrant is docked at Vizag. Confirmed?"
Admiral Muzaffar:
"Not confirmed. Could be deception. You will lay mines near the approaches to Visakhapatnam harbor. If Vikrant appears, destroy her. If not, deny the Indian fleet access."
Commander Zafar: (calmly)
"And if we're intercepted?"
Admiral Muzaffar:
"You won't be. Ghazi sails alone—stealth is your shield. May the sea favor your silence."
As the captain saluted and turned, the room fell silent. The most ambitious submarine mission in South Asian naval history had just been launched.
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Scene 2: The Iron Whale Slips into the Dark
Location: Arabian Sea – November 14, 1971
PNS Ghazi, originally the USS Diablo, was a Tench-class diesel-electric submarine repurposed for Pakistan. On board, 92 sailors prepared for a mission cloaked in uncertainty.
The torpedo bay glowed dim red. Petty Officer Rasheed, the sonar technician, whispered to his junior.
Rasheed:
"You know this is the longest submerged mission we've ever done? Over 3000 kilometers around Sri Lanka... every Indian sonar will be hunting us."
Junior Sailor:
"And if we're spotted?"
Rasheed: (quietly)
"Then the sea becomes our grave."
Above, Commander Zafar stood in the control room.
Commander Zafar:
"Maintain depth. No unnecessary noise. We sail like shadows."
The Ghazi cut through the deep sea like a ghost, bound east with a deadly cargo of mines and torpedoes.
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Scene 3: Laying the Trap
Location: Off the Coast of Visakhapatnam – December 2, 1971
It was 0200 hours. The sea was calm, but the tension onboard was not.
Lieutenant Malik, navigating officer, checked the sonar and whispered:
Lt. Malik:
"Harbor approach reached. Depth perfect for mine deployment."
Commander Zafar:
"Begin Operation Ghazwa. Load sea mines. Silent deployment."
One by one, the deadly explosives were ejected from the sub's belly and sank into the harbor channel, set to detonate on contact with any vessel attempting to enter or leave Visakhapatnam.
Suddenly, Rasheed raised his hand from the sonar panel.
Rasheed:
"Sir… faint surface echo. Fast-moving object—bearing 320!"
Commander Zafar:
"Silent mode. Dive deeper."
The crew braced. The Ghazi dipped further beneath the black waters.
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Scene 4: The Indian Side Reacts
Location: Naval Base INS Circars, Visakhapatnam – December 2, 1971, Afternoon
Rear Admiral Krishna Swaminathan, Flag Officer Commanding Eastern Naval Command, met his intelligence team in a hastily called meeting.
Admiral Swaminathan:
"We have intercepted chatter. Pakistan's Ghazi may be in these waters."
Commander Roy, Intelligence Officer:
"Intercepted a coded burst from Karachi to Bay of Bengal. Very likely instructions to Ghazi. They're hunting Vikrant."
Swaminathan:
"Excellent. We'll use the hunt against them. Move Vikrant south. Spread disinformation that she's in Vizag."
Commander Roy:
"Draw them to a trap?"
Swaminathan:
"Let's let the sea deal with the hunter."
Indian Navy began transmitting fake radio signals to suggest INS Vikrant was docked at Visakhapatnam. Ghazi took the bait.
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Scene 5: Echoes in the Deep
Location: Underwater, Off Visakhapatnam – Night of December 3, 1971
Inside Ghazi, the tension was suffocating. Rasheed picked up strange sonar reflections—small fishing vessels, an Indian warship, possibly a decoy.
Suddenly—a massive underwater explosion.
BOOM!
The sub shook violently.
Screams. Sirens. Lights flickered.
Lt. Malik:
"We've hit something! Or something hit us!"
Commander Zafar:
"Check ballast! Check pressure!"
The hull began to crack. Saltwater gushed into the control room.
Rasheed:
"Sir, forward torpedo room… breached!"
In the chaos, no one saw the depth gauge rising rapidly. The submarine was sinking—beyond recovery.
Commander Zafar: (final words)
"Secure all hatches. Brace for pressure failure. We served with honor…"
The steel coffin was claimed by the sea.
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Scene 6: The Discovery
Location: Visakhapatnam Harbor Entrance – December 4, 1971
An Indian Navy patrol boat reported an oil slick and scattered debris offshore.
Divers were dispatched. Within hours, the twisted wreckage of a submarine was identified.
Naval Diver:
"Sir, it's a sub… Pakistani markings. It's the Ghazi."
The Indian Navy salvaged logs, torn flags, exploded torpedo parts. A solemn hush fell over the dockyard.
Admiral Swaminathan:
"It appears the sea has written our victory."
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Scene 7: The Conflicting Claims
Location: Naval Headquarters, Karachi – December 5, 1971
The news of Ghazi's loss reached Karachi. Grief struck like lightning.
Vice Admiral Muzaffar Hassan addressed the press the next day, composed but visibly shaken.
Admiral Muzaffar:
"The Ghazi was on patrol duty. We lost contact. We suspect an internal explosion. Her gallant crew shall be remembered as martyrs."
Reporter:
"But India claims her navy sank Ghazi with depth charges."
Admiral Muzaffar:
"Let them claim what they wish. The sea does not lie. The Ghazi fell in the line of duty."
In India, jubilant headlines ran across papers:
> "Ghazi Destroyed Near Vizag!"
"Indian Navy Outsmarts Pakistan's Silent Killer!"
But analysts debated. Some said Ghazi sank while laying mines and accidentally triggered one. Others claimed an Indian warship, INS Rajput, launched depth charges that detonated near her hull.
The truth, submerged in darkness, never fully surfaced.
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Scene 8: Letters Never Sent
Location: Lahore, Home of Commander Zafar – December 7, 1971
Commander Zafar's wife, Shabnam, opened a small brown envelope. It was a letter meant to be sent only if Ghazi was lost.
> Dearest Shabnam,
If you are reading this, the mission I undertook has reached its end. I did not go to seek death—but I went knowing it may be waiting beneath the sea. Tell our children I sailed not to destroy, but to defend. And I thought of them every time I looked at the horizon.
– Zafar
She clutched the paper to her chest and closed her eyes as the sound of the sea echoed in her memories.
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Scene 9: A Tomb Beneath the Waves
Location: Visakhapatnam Coastline – Present Day
A memorial plaque stands near the harbor:
> "In Memory of the 92 Sailors of PNS Ghazi
Sank – December 3, 1971
Resting in Honor. In Depth, Silence."*
Tourists pass by. Naval cadets salute.
Beneath the waves, the wreck of Ghazi lies rusted but intact. A solemn tomb. A reminder of bravery cloaked in mystery.
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Closing Scene: Two Histories, One Wreck
Location: War Rooms – Delhi & Karachi (Simultaneous)
In India's Naval Archives, Ghazi's destruction is marked as a tactical victory.
In Pakistan's Naval Records, she is a symbol of valor—"martyred in enemy waters during a high-risk mission."
Two nations. One sunken sub. Two narratives still debated.
But for the families of the fallen, only one truth mattered:
They went into the abyss for their flag… and never returned.
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End of Chapter